And the winners of Election 2018 are ... voters

Greg Abbott vs. Beto O'Rourke

You heard that right. Democratic U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke's race to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is a hot one, indeed, but not nearly as hot as O'Rourke's race with Gov. Greg Abbott to get out the vote.

Abbott is so confident in his lead over Democrat Lupe Valdez for governor that he is making his re-election campaign about turnout rather than himself. He calls it Get Out the Vote. And what's politically smart about the title is that it suggests civic-minded altruism when, in fact, it's a Get Out the Republican Vote tour aimed at boosting Cruz and down-ballot Republicans.

O'Rourke's energetic campaign, meanwhile, has provided long coattails for down-ballot Democrats all over Texas. He famously visited all 254 counties and has revisited many of them. Democrats have a lot more ground to gain in the lowest-turnout state in the nation — if, indeed, most of the nonparticipating eligible voters are Democratic like Democrats keep saying. We'll find out by the wee hours of Nov. 7.

But we can thank Abbott and O'Rourke in advance for inspiring voters. The message to the people is that their votes really matter. It is their voice, and let us explain what that means: While the odds are heavily against your vote being a tiebreaker, you either add weight to a winner's mandate, or you narrow the margin and put the winner on notice.

Barbara Canales vs. Mike Pusley

While the race for Nueces County Judge is arguably the most important locally, it hasn't been as interesting as it should have been. It's the fault of both candidates. Pusley has avoided debates and forums, and neither has made as much noise as both of them should. They are fighting for partisan control of the county. But they seem to be trying not to act like it if too many people are watching.

Both could have done more to tell people what's at stake, starting with a basic explanation of the job description. The title "county judge" is confusing because it suggests an official in charge of a courtroom. The county judge is the county-level equivalent of something between a mayor and a city manager — sort of an elected chief administrator who presides over the Commissioners Court like the mayor does the City Council. You really should be getting this from Canales and Pusley rather than us.

Canales' videos focus on the big picture — make Nueces County a better place to live and attractive to job-creating investors. But it's nebulous. On the upside, it's inclusive, not partisan. There's something for everyone. And clicks for getting actor Pepe Serna to do endorsement videos.

Pusley appears to have chosen almost exclusively to focus on turning out the Republican base. Pusley does not appear to be seeking crossover votes — especially with statements such as "we lose everything" if he isn't elected, which is what he said during Abbott's Get Out the Vote visit here. By "we" Pusley means Republicans. In the world as he has chosen to define it, that makes Democrats "they" or "them." Where Canales is talking about economic development and better quality of life for all, Pusley warns that "we" could lose redistricting, the Port Commission and the Regional Transportation Authority — i.e., the power to appoint Republicans to what should be nonpartisan boards. His is an inside-baseball campaign. That doesn't mean it won't work.

Corpus Christi voters are indebted to both of these candidates for providing clear choices for mayor. McComb, the incumbent, is running on his record and experience in elected office. Campbell points to the status quo that McComb represents and invites voters who like it to vote for it, then promises to pursue a bolder vision of quality of life and better solutions to the city's infrastructure challenges — in case voters would rather have that instead. She has made herself the candidate for optimism, McComb for stability and continuity. There are five candidates but the decision needs to be between these two. Candidate Michael Hall, 28, gathered up endorsements from groups wanting to show McComb who's boss. But Hall has not taken the hard questioning of skeptics well.

Can we all get along?

The political divide is so deep in Texas that the criminally indicted attorney general and ethically compromised agriculture commissioner appear to be shoo-ins because they're Republicans. That's a sad state of affairs. It's a ship that turns slowly. O'Rourke has made headway but it remains to be seen if it's in time for him, this go-round.

Record early vote turnout statewide and in Nueces County is a good sign that people in general are more engaged, regardless of party affiliation. Again, we won't know until the day after the election how the races will turn out. But in the Abbott vs. O'Rourke turnout contest, everyone's a winner. Your vote matters.

Remember: Friday is the last day of early voting. Tuesday is Election Day.